Mechanism of Acquired Immunity in Bacteria

University Of California-Berkeley, Berkeley CA

Investigators

Abstract

Bacteria guard against viral infection by acquiring immunity to bacteriophage and plasmids. This research focuses on elucidating three critical aspects of this bacterial immune system: 1) how viral DNA sequences are incorporated into the host genome; 2) how these genomic inserts are used to produce small anti-sense RNAs; and 3) how foreign genetic elements are selectively silenced or destroyed. The longer-term goal of the project is to use these insights to engineer acquired immunity for selective microbial gene knockdown. This project has the potential to transform the way we understand gene regulation in bacteria, and to reveal the molecular basis for a previously unknown and unanticipated mechanism of anti-viral defense. The Doudna laboratory has a successful history of training students at all levels in the creative dissection of molecular mechanisms involving RNA and RNA-protein complexes using a variety of experimental methods. The project is being conducted in a highly collaborative environment at UC Berkeley, which has become a de facto center for CRISPR research encompassing ongoing work in the laboratories of Jill Banfield, Phil Hugenholtz and Adam Arkin. Quarterly joint group meetings with the Banfield lab are attended and given by all students working on CRISPR-related projects as a means of receiving outside input. An annual CRISPR conference at UC Berkeley attracts scientists from around the world to share their latest results. Students attend and present their work at this meeting, providing an outstanding opportunity for learning and discussing new results.